Artificial eye



y 1933. L. J. GRUBMAN 1,907,958

ARTIFICIAL EYE Filed Oct. 17, 1931 awvemcoz L50 J GEVEMA/V Patented May 9, 1933 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE mio J; GRUBMAN, omens Hanson, LONG ISLAND, new YORK, assicivon TO MARGON canon-Arron, or new Yank, N. Y., A "CORPORATION on NEW Yum;

ARTIFICIAL EYE Application flled October 17, .1931. Serial No. 569,412.

This invention relates to artificial eyes, and has for its general object and purpose to provide an artificial eye having hair eyelashes which are so constructed that the several parts of the eye, together with the lash strands maybe rapidly assembled by ;machine, and the strands securely andpermanently fixed in relation to the eye'pupil.

It isanother important object ofthe invention to provide an eye member in the form of a hollow shell having openings in its. opposite sides,,and an eyelid member formed and constructed to be superimposed upon a part of the eye shell and in clamping i gripping engagement with the ends of eyeo It is a further general object of the inven.

tion to provide an artificial eye of the above character especially designed for use in connection with sleeping dolls, manikins, or other toy figures, and which will realistically simulate the human eye, the several parts of the device being of simple mechanical form sothat they maybe fabricatedand assembled at small expense whereby the manufacturing costs of such artificial eyes are reduced to a minimum. 1 a

With the above and other objects in view, the invention consists in the improved artificial eye, and in the-form, construction and "relative arrangementof its several parts, as will behereinafter more fully described, i1- lustrated in the accompanying drawing, and subsequently "incorporated in the subjoined claims.

In the drawing, wherein I have disclosed one simple and practical embodiment of the invention, and in whiclrsimilar reference characters designate corresponding parts throughout theseveral views, Y 7 Figure, 1 is aperspective view of an artiparent celluloid or other material is superlicial eye illustrating one practical embodim ent of my presentimprovements Fig. 2 is a vertical sectional view Fig. 3 is a horizontal sectional view taken substantially on the line 33 of Fig. 2, and

Fig. 4.- IS a detail perspective view of the eyelid member.

Referring in detail to the drawing, the eye member as herein shown, preferably consists of an inner shell 5 of opaque material, such as Sheehlnttl, celluloidor the like and is of general hemispherical form. Upon the front convex surface of this shell5, the eye pupil indicated at 6is painted or otherwise delineated. This maybe done either before or after the opaque sheet material is die stamped or otherwise fashioned intothe hemispherical forniof theshell 5.

A relatively thin outer shell 7 of transo5 imposed'upon the opaque inner shell 5, said outer shell entirely covering said inner shell. Preferably, in manufacture, the two sheets or flat discs. of celluloid are firstcemented together, and. then formed into the required semi sphericall shape under the pressure of heated dies. However, it is apparent that if desired, the shell members maybe separately formedahd then, secured together in nested relation by any suitablemeans. J

t The pupil 6 is of course, clearly visible at all times through thewalls of the transparent outer shell 7 andis protected by said outer shell wall against the obliterative effects of atmospheric conditions, or possible injury from other causes.

The composite eye shell structure as above described is-provided in the opposite sides thereof with the opening shown at 8 designed to receive the axis of an eye mounting, such as is commonly employed in the application and use of such artificial eyes in dolls and similar. toys. Each of these openings at its front end is formed with an edge 9 extending substantially perpendicularly with respect to a horizontal plane intersecting the eye pupil 6.

The eyelash consists of a multiplicity of individual hair strands 10 which are adapted to be positioned with one of their-ends disposed upon the convex surface of the outer shell 7 of the eye member in appropriate relation to the pupil 6. These lash strands are then rigidly clamped and permanently secured to the surface of the shell 7 by the eyelid member 11. This lid member consists of a sheet metal strip having arelatively wide intermediate portion 12, and the tapering side portions 13,- said strip beingformed by means of s uitable dies-zinto the curved shapeshown in Figs. 2 and 4 of the drawing so that the intermediate portion thereof extends'on an are substantially concentric with the outer surface of the eye shell7. The tapering end portions 1370f the lid member are provided withlateral" extensions 14.

The lid member 11,- is superimposed upon the ends of the eyelash strands 10 and upon the surface of the outer eye shell 7 as seen in Figifzofthe drawing, and-in such applica- "tion'of'said lid member, the tapering side portions 12 are expanded outwardlyfrom their normal conditions by contact "with" the jeye "shell '7',"'thus, causing said end portions v jo f the lid member -to tightly; grip the wall of "the eye-shell. The 'lateralextensions'14L of the I lid member extend over the outer sidesof' the openings 8 intheeye member and while pressure is maintained on" the intermediate portion 12 of' the lid mem'ber to hold the same in tight clamping engagement upon the lash strands and the eye 'shell7, said: extensions 1 14 are bentinwardly through -the openings 8 and then forwardly around the front vertical edges 9 of saidopenings and upon the inner I face oftheshell member 5. In thisoperation of? bending orfclin'ching the terminal 'extensions 14 and interlockingthesame with" the eye member through the openings 8 thereof 1 drawn inwardly or downwardly and thereby a caused tojexertsuch a 'degreeiof clamping" -pressure upon the ends of thelashstrandsim a disposed in superimposed :r'elation upon: the

' as to insure against eitherftheir'accidental 'or V intentional 'deta'chmentiifromthe 'su'rfa'ce' of "the eyeshell. Thu stthelash strands are manently'lfixe'd with respect" to the pupilpfi,

;arid= m aylthen be bent 'upwardlywby suitable- ':means 'to'adesired angularly projectingpositionfromthelower edge of the lid member 11. The clinchedlends" 14' of the lid member.

jco'opera'ting'withthe vertical edges 9'of the "openings 8, precludes any possibility of a circumferential shiftingmovementof the lid 14 witlrarespect to the surface of the eye 1 n'e1nber. iIt'is ofcourse, understood th at the outer surface of the member ll'is painted intherequiredicolor shadezto realistically represent theilidof-the humaneye. i i

From the"foregoingdescription considered the central part ."l2of s'aid'ilid member" is in connection with the accompanying drawing, the construction of my new artificial eye as well as the manner of assembling the several parts thereof will be clearly and fully understood. It will be seen that'by reason of the mechanical form and construction of the several parts, that the eyelashes and the eyelid member may be readily applied and secured to the eye member proper by machine and without the use of adhesives, while at the same time a permanently fixed, relationship between the eyelash strands'and the eye pupil is assured. Thus, my present invention enables suchartificial eyesto beimanufactured on .a quantity production basis. by means of unskilled labor, and with a resultant appreciable reduction in manufacturing costs. The use of such artificial eyes in sleeping dolls and other I figureslhaving the individual hair strand eyelashes applied and secured in attached'relation to the-eye member -inthe "manner-above explained, results in a very application 'to such artificial "eye members of various other detail construction. Also the particular form of the openings 8,=a-nd of the eyelidmember ll may'also be modified or varied, as required or necessitated by. the mechanical characteristics ofthe particular eye mounting or head structure in connection with which the device is to be employed. Ac-T cordingly, it is to be understood that in practice, I reserve the privilege of resorting to all such legitimate changes in the'form,

construction and relative arrangement ofthe several detail parts ofthe'device asmay be fairly embodied within the spirit andscope of the invention as'claimed.

I claim: I

- 1. 'An artificial eye comprising a semispherical shell provided with an eyepupil, an eyelid member of --curvilinear sector- 'shaped'form' gradually tapering in width in each direction" from its "central portion, and

convex surface of the shell abovethe 'eyezpux-pil; eyelash "strands interposed between; said shell and'the forward-edge; of the lid member,

:and: w an integrally formed, :bendable,:, projection at eachend ofjsaidreyelidl member 00- strands therebetween.

2. As anewarticle ofmanufacture,aneyelid for artificial eyes comprising a curvilinear" sector-shaped member of v concavo-convex form in cross section adaptedto be superimposed upon the convex surface ofan eye member abovethe pupil thereof, said" lid..

member having tapering end portions yieldable with respect to the intermediate portion of said member and each terminating in a part projecting laterally from one edge of the end portion and adapted for coacting engagement with an edge of the eye member to prevent relative movement between the eye member and lid member and retain the latter in closely superposed relation to the surface of the eye member.

In testimony that I claim the foregoing as my invention I have signed my name hereto.

LEO J. GRUBMAN. 

